A group of three friends was brutally murdered when they met for a night of fishing in central Florida, authorities said Saturday according to numerous reports.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said at a Saturday press conference that the murder was a “massacre” and “a horrific scene,” the Associated Press reported.
“I’ve been to a lot of murder scenes in my life, and this ranks among the worst,” Judd said. (RELATED: Houston Man Charged With Murder After Wife Found In Freezer)
Damion Tillman, 23, had planned to meet two other friends at Lake Streety to night fish, Judd told reporters, per the AP. Kevin Springfield, 30, and Brandon Rollins, 27, saw Tillman being beaten by the attackers when they showed up to the lake.
Three Florida men were fatally beaten and shot while on their way to fish. https://t.co/95PTmTO8vq
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) July 19, 2020
The attackers reportedly shot at the two men before leaving the scene. Rollins was able to call his father, who lived about 10 minutes away, and ask for help after the attackers left. His father reportedly forgot his phone at home in his hurry to get to the lake and had to rush away from the scene to a convenience store to call for help.
Rollins, reportedly the only man alive when his father arrived, had died by the time authorities got to the scene.
Judd said that investigators believe more than one person was involved in the attack, and that it wasn’t random. “You don’t just stumble upon somebody out here,” he said.
The police department is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.